Tuesday, December 31, 2013

*************************UPDATE*********************************I have received requests for personal size as well as planner without designs (flowers etc.)New inserts will be available January 14, 2013 in both sizes (personal and A5) as well as plain - no designs. Check back by 01/14/14 on my Etsy shop for these new insert versions.thank youSophia*********************************************************************Hi friends,There is no better way (at least for me) to celebrate the new year than with a New Planner!I hung on my Filofax Personal planner for almost one year before making the big leap into an A5 planner. My biggest dilemma was to whether purchase a Filofax or a Franklin Covey. Well, finances set that one out for me, and I went for the Franklin Covey Classic. I have no regret because I made a decision based not only on finance but also on practicality:while I wanted a larger planner (more space to write and bigger - yes bigger rings) I also wanted something that was functional. For instance, the Franklin Covey Boston I chose, is the only one I found with an adjustable strap! The rings are 1 1/8 inches, which is a whole 1/8 more than Filofax and when you love paper inserts like I do, that 1/8 makes a big difference.This is my new planner:

Franklin Covey Boston Binder

So, to celebrate my new planner, and the new year, I went ahead and made an entire year's worth of week-on-two-pages inserts. These are for both the A5 Filofax or the Franklin Covey Classic sizes (the only difference is the number of holes for the rings).

Winter design

Spring Design

Summer Design

Fall Design

I am still following the same system I had created for 2013 because it worked for me, so why change it. Well, actually, I did add one section: weekly budget.There are four designs, each per quarter, national and religious holidays (Jewish and Christian) are noted as well.For those of you who would prefer the same design without the labels, my inserts are also available as blank pages like the one below:

That way, you can insert (write in or use washi tape) your own categories to suit your personal needs. Now, last year, I offered my inserts for free, pretty much as a try out and because I was making them on a monthly basis, which was a bother to a lot of my readers who wanted to plan ahead.This year, I put a lot of work into creating an entire year's worth of inserts at once, and thought it would be only fair to use my work as a way to continue supporting my blog and efforts.Both are available on my brand new Etsy Shop for just $3.00 as a downloadable PDF.I also made another set of inserts to go along with these. As you may remember, I print my inserts back to back with notes and project trackers. Last year, I was not making full use of the tracker, probably because of the lack of available space in my Personal Filofax. So this year, I took full advantage of the A5/Classic size and check out what I came up with:

The tracker on the left is meant to look like a series of post it notes. Each has checks for water intake, Rx and vitamins as well as exercise (walk or work out) and a section for short term - daily goals. The other side is a large note section which is actually printed graph paper, but for some reason the PDF picture does not reflect that.This insert is also available on my new Etsy Shop for $0.50.So, I am not sure how you feel about my charging a small fee for my inserts. If you are offended, I apologize, it surely is not my intention, I am solely trying to grow and support my blog and vlog beyond their existing success and I am well aware that I would be a nothing without you!Visit my Etsy Shop:

* This blog contains affiliate advertising. I am afiliated with Yves Rocher, Amazon, Vera Bradley and Pacifica and will receive a small commission for purchases made through my site links - that is how I support my blog. I am not affiliated with Filofax or Franklin Covey. All opinions and designs are my own,

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Hi friends,I am hoping you are all enjoying the Holidays. We have been slammed with some serious snow here in the Northeast but that did not stop me from decorating the house. We are now in full gear and ready for the bearded one's arrival! I love Christmas, it is my favorite Holiday and my decorations take a long time to put together. It is also a work in progress as I continue to add ornaments and/or decorative items every year!Enjoy the video tour:

* This blog contains affiliate advertising.I am affiliated with Amazon and Yves Rocher and will receive a commission from your purchase made through my links, that is how I support my blog. I am not affiliated with the other brands mentioned in this video (Too Faces, Benefit, Christian Dior, Elf etc). All opinions are my own.

* This blog contains affiliate advertising.I am affiliated with Amazon and Vera Bradley and will receive a commission from your purchase made through my links, that is how I support my blog. All opinions are my own.

Well, I am late for this review and there is a valid reason - this time! My laptop went kaput and all my footage for a partner video to this post is gone! I thought I could reclaim it and no luck! So, I am back to a simple post - But, this EcoEmi box was one of the best this year, no joke, I loved everything in it. So without further ado, let's get started!

Quick reminder, EcoEmi is an all organic and cruelty free sample subscription box, you pay $15 per month and receive up to 7 samples, at least one full size each and every time. I receive Birchbox as well, and though I like it, nothing compares, to me, toEcoEmi. I also activated an account with Ipsy but am on the waiting list...still waiting, sadly.

Here is the November 2013 box!

Anna - Flower Headband - A

Full Size - $9

First thing out of the box was this amazing, yet quite large, flower band. I loved it so much that I wore it all day once I received the box. It's a bit too big, if you ask me, but I love the way it looks on me and might wear it for the Holidays! Best of all, this is one of two full sizes in this month's box.

Do you like this flower headband as much as I do? You can find it on Anna's Etsy shop!

Kitsune Tea - Midnight Dark Drinking Chocolate - B

6 oz. $16

I would like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to anything chocolate. Quite frankly, I did not find anything extraordinary in this hot cocoa mix. It was good, but I did not find myself going "OMG! I want this ALL THE TIME!". The tin itself made two small cups of cocoa my husband and I enjoyed with a few (ok, more than a few) Mallomars
. And again, while this is 100% organic dark cocoa from Peru, I did not see what was the big deal and it did not taste any different than the "good stuff" I sometimes splurge on while shopping at Whole Foods.However, it appears that Kitsune Tea as a brand can be purchased onEtsyand offers a variety of teas which I found very interesting, so I may actually check out their teas, and leave the chocolate to another brand.

St. Claire's Organics - Peppermints - B+

0.53 oz for $1.19 or 1.5 oz tin for $2.99

If you like Altoids but find that you can never finish them because they are too strong, this is the right alternative. It is a strong mint, pretty large in size, it is supposed to clear congestion and soothe upset stomachs as well! And 10% of their profit go to Ethno Medicine Preservation. Good cause!So overall, I found the mints were good, they are definitely strong but I did not care for the texture towards the end, the mind actually breaks apart into a gritty texture and call me crazy but that was kind of annoying. Other than that, good mint!Check out St. Claire's Organics website, they have other flavors that may be more appealing to you such as lemon, licorice or ginger.

Night Owl Paper Paper Goods - Greeting Card - A+

Box of 6 $24

I thought this was the cutest thing I have seen this year! A greeting card made out of wood! It's beautifully designed and I am not about to send it to anyone because it would just ruin it. I may use it in a scrapbook instead.Now, let's talk pricing: ahem, I understand this is made out of wood, no problem, I would expect the card to be more than your average store price. But, it's printed, not hand painted, so to me, and again, my opinion only, it's pushing it! 6 cards for $24? Then there is shipping of course. Better be some special occasion! Wait! There is a coupon code: Use coupon code ECOEMI2013 to get 20% off your purchase. So I checked out the site for Night Owl Paper Goods, having nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon, and guess what? Completely in love with this company!Check out some of the things I found to be equally cute and of course want to buy now!

That is the weirdest concept! I heard of dry perfume, they are usually in the form of a talcum powder and I can deal with that. But this exorbitantly expensive tiny little thing is a bunch of high quality spices put together in a vial - nothing earth shattering!"It is crafted with resins, spices and natural ambers form Morocco" (quote from the card)Basically, you place it in the palm of your hands, rub them together to release the scent and apply on pressure points such as your neck. Does it smell great? Yes. Does it stay on for a long time? Yes. Is it worth it? No. Can you find an alternative that does not fell like grit and sand? For sure. I was not impressed. There is an etsy shop for Chamela Giriperfumes and other things from India. It's just too strange for me.

Shea Radiance - Whipped Shea Butter

With Kalahari Melon - B+

8 oz - $32

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I fell in love with Shea Radiance's Moisturizing Hair Milk. So I was super excited to receive another sample from their Shea Butter line. I was disappointed with this one, the scent is very faint, it is a good moisturizer but I did not think it was all that I expected.

Tulips Apothecary - pumpkin Pout Lip Balm - A

1 oz - $8

Yes! Another full size! I love lip balms, I love tinted lip balms and this one is fantastic! It has a beautiful brick color, it is very moisturizing, taste is great, good quality. So why not an A+, you may ask! Well, I would rather have my lip balm come in a tube, it's just my preference. That being said, it is a great product and you should check out their other balms at Tulips Apothecary!I think they're worth the price. This particular one (pumpkin pout) is made with organic cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and all spice. Love it!

Sparklehearts - Squeaky Clean Shampoo - B

Gift Set $12.99

Anything that says "squeaky clean" on the bottle scares me because it usually means that I will end up full off frizziness and blur on top of my head. This shampoo is lightly scented, kind of fruity and does rinse well. It did, as expected, strip my hair of it's natural oils so I would not recommend using it without a treatment afterwards. I can see myself using this on the week end to seriously give my hair a good rinse from all the stuff I add to it throughout the week. Other than that, I am not rushing to the store!

It's 100% natural, cruelty free and vegan. It comes as part of this Peta gift set (think Christmas gift idea for your environment friendly friends):

The kit sells for $16 and I think it is actually a good deal for 4 generous size travel bottles. The SparkleClean company also offers conditioners, detanglers, treatments etc. I think it would be a good alternative for kids shampoos as well.

Well, that was November 2013EcoEmibox. What do you think? I still think (aside from the weird dry shampoo) that this was a great box and definitely a great payoff when considering there were two full sizes in it!

I hope you enjoyed this review! Check out the blog and vlog soon for the December box!

* This blog contains affiliate advertising. I am not affiliated with EcoEmi or any of the brands mentioned in this post. I am however affiliated with Amazon and will receive a commission from your purchase made through my links, that is how I support my blog. All opinions are my own.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Cyber Monday Deals - 2013Who's ready for some last minute shopping?By this time of the year, I usually wrap up all my Christmas shopping. Most of it is done before Thanksgiving, I then use Black Friday and Cyber Monday online deals to finish it all. Why? It leaves our December money in the bank - which we need for heating bill and other winter costs (think food)!Here are some of the deals I found online and end today for Cyber Monday only - it's not too late to score big as some of these deals are really worth your staying home and avoiding the crowd frenzy!Old Navy is offering 30% off site wide and Gap/Banana Republic 40% off site wide:

Pacifica SkinCare: they make a wonderful Tuscan Blood Orange line of body cream that is to die for (a great gift for a mother in law). They re offering free shipping on orders $50+ and a free gift for orders $30+

* This blog contains affiliate advertising. I am afiliated with Yves Rocher, Amazon, Pacifica and will receive a small commission for purchases made through my site links - that is how I support my blog. I am not affiliated with the GAP, Old Navy, Macy's, Kohls, Bath and body Works, or ELF. All opinions are my own.